Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
Evaluate people by their actions and results rather than their stated beliefs or excuses.
In plain terms
Look at what people do to know who they are.
What can you take from it?
Judge people by actions not excuses.

Where it applies

  • management
  • relationships
  • public service

Putting it to work

  • track outcomes
  • ask for results
  • ignore promises

Questions to consider

  • How do you judge others?
  • What matters more words or deeds?

Another view

Intentions can matter even when actions fall short.

More from William S. Burroughs

  1. I say we are here in human form to learn by the human hieroglyphs of love and suffering. There is no intensity of love or feeling that does not involve the ris…

    Permalink to quote #30
  2. Language is a virus.

    Permalink to quote #32
  3. Images. Millions of images. That's what I eat.

    Permalink to quote #29

Related quotes

  1. You cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man's actions are, such must be his spirit.

    DemosthenesDemosthenes quote #6
  2. If we don't want to define ourselves by things as superficial as our appearances, we're stuck with the revolting alternative of being judged by our actions, by…

    Ellen DeGeneresEllen DeGeneres quote #6
  3. The integrity of men is to be measured by their conduct, not by their professions.

    JuniusJunius quote #21